Back in Time

A propane-powered generating unit on the television site near Clearwater was expected to give clearer pictures and to reach Vavenby, the executive of the Central North Thompson Chamber of Commerce was told.

45 YEARS AGO:

Flood control and dyking were major topics of discussion at a Clearwater Improvement District meeting. Residents of the Clearwater Flats could not obtain building permits to add buildings.

A reply was received from Municipal Affairs to a letter from CID trustees regarding incorporation for Clearwater. The reply contained a report on the assessed value of the improvement district, but did not contain an answer to the question of whether incorporation was feasible.

An ad sponsored by various body shops objected that the $14 per hour being offered by the government’s new insurance company, ICBC, was unrealistic. In addition to a number of Kamloops shops, the list of sponsors included Clearwater Auto Body, Barriere Paint and Body, and Fishtrap Canyon Service at McLure.

40 YEARS AGO:

New equipment on Grizzly Mountain at the 8,500-foot level would result in clearer television reception, reported Art Mayer, chairman of the Chamber of Commerce television committee. The signal would be received from Barriere, rather than Kamloops, reducing the distance traveled by half.

Relatives and friends gathered in the Avola community hall to honor Ivor and Pauline Lundeberg on their 25th wedding anniversary. The couple had been married in the same hall, and had lived in Avola ever since.

An article outlined the life of Nettie De Witt, then 96 years old. Born near Grafton, North Dakota, in 1883, she had come to Clearwater in 1932 with her husband, Ira.

Nearly 300 friends and relatives gathered in the Fall Fair Hall in Barriere to honor Marston and Ellen Fennell on their 50th wedding anniversary. It was a complete surprise to the couple.

Concern about the dangerous way students were crossing Highway 5 at the Hub was a topic of discussion at Clearwater Secondary School consultative committee’s first meeting of the school year. Eleven parents and four teachers were present.

30 YEARS AGO:

Clearwater carpet bowlers Bob Collison, Inez Collison, Lee Colter, Mary Colter and Floyd Nelson took a silver medal at the B.C. Seniors Games in Trail. They missed gold by one point.

Doug Bryden was the new principal at Clearwater Secondary, while Bill Keast took on the top job at Raft River.

David Chiasson took first place in the Class A event at the Vavenby Mud Bogs.

25 YEARS AGO:

Two Clearwater men were killed in a head-on collision with a Freightliner semi south of Little Fort. A local woman was in critical condition in Kamloops hospital.

Clearwater Improvement District joined forces with School District 26 to pursue ownership of Clearwater Hatchery.

Clearwater Minor Hockey Association raised $8,377 at its annual auction and smorgasbord, the best result ever. After dinner speaker was Ryan Walters, a member of the Vancouver Canucks organization.

20 YEARS AGO:

Sandy and Wayne Sunderman of Clearwater found the Golden Skull, the object of a six-year treasure hunt organized by Mike Ritcey of Kamloops. The couple found a replica of the skull on a tributary of Third Canyon Creek. The skull contained 3,350 grams of 22 karat gold.

Longtime CSS teacher Ken Ladd took over as principal. Former counselor Rick Kienlein was the new vice-principal.

15 YEARS AGO:

Cloudy and wet weather failed to dampen the spirits of the thousands who attended the 55th annual North Thompson Fall Fair in Barriere. The previous year’s fair had been canceled due to the fire situation. A group of residents put on a logging sports demonstration at the fair.

Kamloops resident Peter Findlay was the top male rider and Jean Anne McKirdy of Valemount was the top female rider at the Blue River Mountain Bike Festival. Despite wet conditions, just over 50 people participated, including youngsters in the kids’ races.

Bert Walker, TNRD director for Wells Gray Country, announced that he was seeking the provincial NDP nomination for the Kamloops-North Thompson riding.

10 YEARS AGO:

A floatplane that sank in Azure Lake the previous year had been found in about 500 feet of water. Some pieces had been recovered but lifting the main wreckage would have to wait until the following spring.

According to information from Clearwater Fire Zone, more than 4,000 ha around Momich Lake had been devastated by the fire.

A talented young lady, Krystle Gerber-Moilliet, started an adult theatre group at the Community Resource Center.

Kamloops Storm Junior B hockey team had an exhibition game against Penticton Lakers at the Sportsplex arena. A special favorite for the crowd was Clearwater’s own Jesse Wallin, who was trying out to play with the Kamloops team.

A total of about $750 was raised for Lenette Mackenzie, who had been injured in a recent ATV accident, reported Roger Mayer of the Sportsplex.

5 YEARS AGO:

A slow-pitch tournament raised over $2,800 to help the family of Valon Bonner, who had been born with a cleft lip and partially cleft palate. The money would be used to help cover the costs of going to Vancouver for surgery, said parents Corey Bonner and Megan Carter.

A good-sized crowd turned out for the annual First Fish ceremony at Raft River. This was the 10th year in a row the ceremony had been held in modern times.

1 YEAR AGO:

A new childcare program was planned to open in Clearwater next month for families identifying as First Nations, Metis or Inuit, operating in collaboration with the parents and the various cultures they come from. The program, which was due to start Oct. 1 had been dubbed the Eagle’s Nest, and was created by Yellowhead Community Services. The program offers care to children from birth to age five.

A wilderness protection group released video and photos showing clearcut logging approved by the B.C. government near Clearwater, in an area it said had been selected by the federal government as critical habitat for southern mountain caribou. The Wilderness Committee (WC), a registered non-profit and federal charity, said the clearcutting was happening in an area specific to the at-risk Wells Gray herd living in the region.